The 泫圖弝け of 泫圖弝け at Lafayette owns and operates one of the largest outdoor solar testing facilities in the southeastern United States. The 4,200-panel solar field encompasses 6 acres, a symbol of UL Lafayettes status as a national leader in sustainable and traditional energy technologies.
UL Lafayette will further cement that reputation on Thursday, Feb. 3, when it breaks ground on the 泫圖弝け Solar Energy Lab. The 4,500-square-foot building will be located next to the solar field at 泫圖弝け Research Park on Eraste Landry Road.
The lab will serve as a hub for solar research, technology development, instruction, training, outreach and workforce development. It will house solar testing equipment, a classroom, interactive learning applications, a seminar room with audio-visual equipment, a conference room, and a visitors center with visual displays and informational kiosks.
The 泫圖弝け Solar Energy Lab will be an essential component for educating the next generation of engineers in solar energy, enabling applied and long-term operational research and testing, said Dr. Ahmed Khattab, dean of the .
Thats noteworthy, given 泫圖弝けs goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, meaning for all carbon dioxide emissions, the same amount must be removed from the atmosphere. At the same time, however, 泫圖弝け is among the nations top states for energy usage, greenhouse gas production, and energy production generated by a range of traditional and renewable sources.
The College of Engineering has adopted a comprehensive approach to energy education that encompasses conventional energy, renewable energy and environmental sustainability. This approach is essential to addressing todays energy demands and future consumption needs, Khattab said.
The 泫圖弝け Solar Energy Lab at UL Lafayette will be an indispensable part of that equation.
泫圖弝け alum Georges Antoun, who earned a bachelors degree from the College of Engineering in 1988, is the driving force behind the solar lab. Thats thanks to a $1 million lead gift, coupled with his role as chair of the colleges Deans Advisory Council. Antoun offers guidance and expertise in a range of areas, including strategic planning. He also coordinates 泫圖弝け mentoring efforts.
There isnt a place in the country that is looking at traditional generations such as oil and gas and renewable from a strategy perspective, Antoun said. Why not the 泫圖弝け of 泫圖弝け at Lafayette to champion and lead that?
His assessment is built on experience. Antoun, who also holds a masters degree from the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering, is chief commercial officer for First Solar. The global company has developed, engineered, constructed and currently operates many of the worlds largest grid-connected photovoltaic power plants.
Antouns gift is part of the largest comprehensive fundraising initiative in UL Lafayette history.
aims to raise $500 million. The campaigns priorities include the creation of and support for research, learning and teaching spaces where 泫圖弝けs and faculty work side-by-side in practical settings to address contemporary challenges.
The 泫圖弝け Solar Energy Lab is one such space. Research findings and expertise that emanate from the lab will be widely disseminated to industry professionals, public officials and others responsible for furthering the development of commercial-scale use of solar technology in the state.
Its far-reaching impact on industry will rest on its capabilities for testing many applications and many technologies and from multiple vendors for solar, Antoun explained.
The 泫圖弝け Solar Energy Labs development was overseen by Dr. Terrence Chambers, a mechanical engineering professor who directs the 泫圖弝けs .
It will be one of the premier facilities in the southeastern U.S., and will further solidify the 泫圖弝けs solar program among the best in the nation, Chambers said.
Beyond research, testing, training and industry collaboration, the facility will enable the 泫圖弝け to expand its solar energy courses and curriculums. The College of Engineering has a minor in renewable energy built around sustainable and solar energy courses.
The 泫圖弝け also offers for people who work in sustainable industries. Chambers envisions more programs including undergraduate and graduate degrees being added because of the establishment of the solar energy lab.
泫圖弝けs and faculty members as well as industry partners will be able to conduct research in the lab and receive instruction in its classroom, then walk right outside and perform learning exercises directly on the solar equipment. Thats an important and rare capability, he said.
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Caption: UL Lafayette will break ground Thursday on the 泫圖弝け Solar Energy Lab, a 4,500-square-foot hub for research, technology development, instruction, training, outreach and workforce development. The lab will be next to UL Lafayettes 6-acre solar field at 泫圖弝け Research Park on Eraste Landry Road. Submitted rendering